by David West | Oct 24, 2025 | News
The Peace of Westphalia was signed on the 24th of October, 1648, bringing to an end both the Thirty Years’ War and the Eighty Years’ War. Regular readers will know that the Eighty Years’ War was my ancestor, Sir Anthony Standen’s war. He spied for Walsingham against...
by David West | Oct 23, 2025 | News
On the 23rd of October, 1295, the first treaty forming the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France against England was signed in Paris. Origins and Formation The origins of the Auld Alliance lie in the complex power dynamics of late 13th-century Europe. England,...
by David West | Oct 22, 2025 | News
On the 22nd of October, 1836, Sam Houston was inaugurated as the first President of the Republic of Texas. I confess that I know little about Sam Houston other than that John Wayne and Richard Widmark were waiting for him to arrive with an army and relieve the siege...
by David West | Oct 21, 2025 | News
The Battle of Trafalgar was fought on the 21st of October, 1805. So when I crack open a bottle of something alcoholic this evening I shall say the toast, ‘to the immortal memory of Lord Nelson and those who fell with him.’ I have written about the use of intelligence...
by David West | Oct 20, 2025 | News
The 20th of October was my father’s birthday. I’ve posted about my father a few times, so for today’s blog I shall write about the Relief of Goes, an amazing feat during the Eighty Years’ War, which was my ancestor Sir Anthony Standen’s war. Context of the Conflict...
by David West | Oct 19, 2025 | News
It’s hard to choose the subject of today’s blog. As a writer I am tempted by the publication of Jayne Eyre in 1847. Russia is hardly ever out of the news, and today marks the Treaty of Drottningholm between Sweden and Russia in 1791 and Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow...
